Like most travelers of days past, Bing Fraser’s round the world trip was interrupted by the pandemic. Jail, bruises, missing teeth, and more are just some of the mishaps that befell him over the course of eight years of travel. Listen and hear some of his very entertaining stories of things gone wrong on the latest podcast and videocast.
How not to travel with Bing Fraser:
In his case, l think it was a good thing that the coronavirus stopped him cold as who knows what further trouble he might have gotten himself into :-). A lot of times, I interview people who always travel the right way. By that, I mean do the preparation and find out things in advance.
This group of people would include me as well as a lot of people l know. Bing just jumped in with eyes wide shut. One of the first things he said to me was that he had cheated death so many times, the grim reaper is on his greeting card list which had me hooked :-).
I assume youth has a lot to do with that. Youth, fearlessness, and a sprinkling of stupidity.. haha!. It took us a really long time to do this interview because being back home for him meant someplace a bit outside of Sydney with the kookaburras singing and wide-open spaces where the wifi sucked and was slow as molasses so we kept getting cut off, but it was totally worth it.
I knew right away that l was going to have a lot of fun on this interview. Bing has a way of telling engaging and truly funny stories that are fine to listen to and observe from a distance. Had any of these things happened to me, rest assured that l would have been on the first available flight back home!
Some of the highlights of the how not to travel with Bing include:
- His first trip out from Australia landed him in a southern state in America, the big melting pot.
- His first impression of the U.S as an outsider and how he was treated.
- Nicaragua, and leaving quite a good portion of his brain behind.
- Still continuing on the journey with his friend literally dragging him.
- Getting his teeth knocked out.
- Some jail time in Central America.
- Being robbed several times in different places.
- His various treks and how much he loved them.
- Living for a year in Newcastle England, which was fun and cheap and of course, football madness there.
- The beauty of America compared to other places he’s been.
- His favorite place of all the countries. Surprised me.
- His book called “Unprotected Treks – The Politically Incorrect Blueprint For World Travel”. Chapters like my favorite robberies make for an interesting read. Just read some of the reviews and take his word for it that the book is not politically correct, but will make you laugh till you cry.
- His advice for youngsters who want to travel the world. Actually good advice by the way.
The book is available on Amazon via this link:
You can find Bing on these platforms:
Listen to the podcast:
Watch the videocast:
Other podcasts of interest:
Needless to say, this interview was a blast and one of my favorites to date. It’s great to see how others travel, especially when it is so completely the opposite of what l usually do.
I was curious if his parents knew anything about his past brushes with death and l was kind of relieved to know that he kept them in the dark. That’s a heavy burden, all that worrying.
As soon as things settle down, and Australia opens up again, Bing is eager to continue where he left off with his travels. Hopefully, with a bit more caution, even though l doubt that very much :-). The grim reaper is always about, now more than ever these days.
How do you travel? with caution like me? or more Bing style?
What a pleasant surprise! I started listening to this convinced that I will hate the guy, but he’s actually a smart, fun and down to earth (despite everything) person. I really enjoyed hearing about all his (mis)adventures. Great advice at the end, to round up a really good interview.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Bing is definitely a likeable person and l really loved the interview as well. He had me in stitches throughout the interview with his stories. He is also the poster boy for how not to travel :-).